Woman recounts home invasion
SPRINGHILL TWP. – Fonda Conaway no longer will open her door for strangers. She thought the man who knocked on her door Monday morning was merely inquiring about the car that was for sale in her driveway. She never expected him to force his way into her home later that evening.
Conaway, 39, suffered minor injuries in what police are calling a home invasion at her residence along Route 857, Springhill Township.
Conaway said she was getting ready for work when the man who attacked her pulled in her driveway at 7 a.m. Monday, looking at the car her husband was trying to sell.
With her husband away, working in California state, it was Conaway who answered the door at 8:30 p.m. when the man returned to her house. Conaway didn’t think the man was dangerous.
“I answered the door and told him my husband wanted $800 for the car,” she said.
As she turned from the door for a split-second, he charged her, knocking Conaway to the floor.
Her children, 16-year-old Paul and 14-year-old Nicole, were upstairs and heard the struggle that was taking place between their mother and the man.
Conaway said she heard her kids coming down the stairs and screamed for them to stay upstairs and call 911.
“The man was hollering at my kids to come downstairs. He said he would kill their mother,” said Conaway. “He started going to the stairs, where my kids were, so I fought him as hard as I could. He then pulled out a knife and cut my arm before knocking me back to the ground,” she said.
The man then found Conaway’s purse on a kitchen table, and fled with it and her leather coat.
Conaway credits her children with saving her life. She said she could tell the man was afraid the police would catch him, since her kids had called 911.
“I never expected this to happen,” said Conaway. “We live in the country in a small community. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I assume he knew my husband wasn’t around, and he knew I wouldn’t suspect him because he had inquired about the car earlier,” she said.
Conaway said she took the “For Sale” sign off the car in her driveway Tuesday morning.
“I’m no longer going to open the door for anyone I don’t know,” she said.
Conaway said she has three butterfly stitches in her arm, a sore neck and bruises on her face. Her children were not harmed.
State police are looking for the man, described as 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall with shaggy brown hair and a thin build. He wore a dark baseball cap, a gray sweatshirt and dark pants. The man left in a gray or light blue minivan.
Conaway said she hopes the police find the man soon.
“I’m nervous because he hasn’t been caught yet,” she said.